TULSA, Okla. — Justice for Greenwood hosted a town hall meeting Thursday.
The group is concerned about the City of Tulsa collecting DNA samples from descendants of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
They invited two legal experts to provide clarity about the potential risks for descendants who give up their DNA. Ultimately, they advised against it, until there's a system they consider more secure.
So far, the City of Tulsa has collected 28 DNA samples representing 14 exhumed bodies from Oaklawn Cemetery. It comes after they dug up some of the mass graves last summer.
The forensics group they're working with is trying to match that genetic material with potential descendants. Thursday, Justice for Greenwood held a town hall meeting with legal experts addressing the potential risks of surrendering genetic material to the city of Tulsa or DNA websites.
“We do, however, recognize that sometimes it may be necessary to use DNA, to identify victims of racial atrocities even then though, we urge caution of participating in these programs because of privacy and policing concerns," Eric Miller, a lawyer for Justice for Greenwood said.
The city of Tulsa is working with Intermountain Forensics to collect the DNA data.
The city said almost 70 percent of the people who have inquired about the project have already taken a consumer DNA test at some point in the past.
Ultimately, the city said there are only two databases that allow them to get the information they need. The one they are using, GEDmatch, allows users to opt-out of law enforcement searches involving crime scene DNA.
The city said they're working closely with the forensic group to make sure users are aware of the privacy settings, but the legal experts with Justice for Greenwood still have concerns.
“Short of removing your profile altogether, I don’t think there’s any guaranteed protection over the profile that you have," Elizabeth Joh, professor at Law at U.C. Davis School of Law said.
Joh added that once the genetic information is surrendered, the uploader of that information loses all control over it.
The mass graves oversight committee has already met twice this year, their next meeting is in September.
Trending Stories:
- One dead, multiple cars involved in highway crash near Inola
- DOWNLOAD the 2 News Oklahoma app for alerts
- Death row inmate James Coddington executed in McAlester
- FOLLOW 2 News Oklahoma on Facebook
- Completed Union High School stadium ready for first football game
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Twitter
